Rethink Resources

I had to read the article a few times before I could believe it. Apparently in Scotland they are electronically tagging some youth who are believed to be at high risk of sexual exploitation in the sex trade.

Ok, let’s break down what’s wrong with this picture. Tagging people like they were lost penguins or whales does not address the core of the problem here. Why tag the youth and not the adults who exploit? A rhetorical question, I know. Of course adults focus on controlling youth instead of holding adults accountable or making our communities safer.

Not to mention I’d just get rid of it (cut it off, wrap it in foil, anything to mess with it). I mean bears chew trackers off all the time. Seriously, this is up there in the all time worst ideas.

Reminds me of reports from the Pacific Northwest (more on my travels and workshops soon) on the use of “prostitution-free” zones where youth and adults labeled as involved in trading sex for money are banned from certain areas of the city. Another really terrible idea - both because of enforced segregation and harassment and because people are often banned from their own home communities and where needed services are located.

An article from Canada reports on lesbian and bisexual girls becoming pregnant through cover relationships to avoid homophobia. It’s so important for reproductive health providers to not make so many assumptions from just seeing one side of someone. I remember seeing a study a couple of years ago on higher pregnancy rates for queer girls which was, in part, attributed to youth not being prepared to prevent pregnancy because they were in mostly same sex relationships (although not exclusively).

In the New York Times I found a solid report on shelters with a focus on the needs of LGBTQ homeless youth.

This week I’ve highlighted a couple of representative stories on arrests and charges of pimps from federal authorities in Boston to local authorities in Reno, Nevada. The one based in Boston is really hard to read because of the details of abuse. I’m going to consider noting the stories like that in some way - especially in the archives.

More posts soon on my trip to Portland Oregon, recent workshops and insightful discussions with long time friends and new allies.

Woman arrested on charges she used daughter for prostitution (Reno) Tuesday, May 22, 2007 A 49-year-old California woman was arrested on charges she sold her 12-year-old daughter for sex to earn money for drugs while the pair was staying in the downtown Reno motel room of a convicted sex offender, authorities said.

Children are tagged to avoid sexual predators (Glasgow) Monday, May 21, 2007 A 15-year-old girl has been tagged to keep her out of a city’s red light district and save her from sexual exploitation. The youngster, who has a history of offending, has been seen getting in and out of cars belonging to men in Glasgow city centre.

Fed indictment details horrific prostitution ring (Boston) Friday, May 18, 2007 Six men, five of them from the Bay State, were accused yesterday of running a grotesque teen prostitution ring that spanned the East Coast and recruited or abducted girls who would turn tricks in Chinatown, New York City and locales as far-flung as Bermuda, according to a federal indictment.

Pregnancy a way to stay in the closet? (Toronto) Thursday, May 17, 2007 The sting of high-school homophobia brings dozens of teens to the office of LeeAndra Miller. As a counsellor for Central Toronto Youth Services, she speaks with dozens of lesbian and bisexual girls who tell her they want to make “one last-ditch attempt at having a boyfriend,” just to avoid schoolyard taunts. “There’s nothing like a pregnancy to prove you’re straight”

Gay Youths Find Place to Call Home in Specialty Shelters (Detroit) Thursday, May 17, 2007 One girl said she started living on the streets after her mother beat her for dressing like a boy. Another said she ran away from home after her father pulled a gun on her for hanging around with so many “tomboys.”